Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Legends: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow - Sleepy Hollow, NY

A statue of Ichabod
Crane and the Headless Horseman recreates a scene from the Legend of Sleepy Hollow. It is located on Broadway and Gordon Avenue in
Sleepy Hollow, NY

Long Description:

Washington Irving's classic tale The Legend of Sleepy Hollow was set in the
Tappan Zee area of the Hudson River Valley near the Old Dutch Church and Sleepy
Hollow Cemetery in North Tarrytown, NY.

In this legend, the area is haunted by a headless horseman believed to be the
ghost of a Hessian soldier who lost his head to a cannon ball during the
Revolutionary War. The Horseman is seen most often riding by the Old Dutch
Church and nearby cemetery, where according to local lore he was buried. He is
believed to be in search of his head. Ichabod Crane is prone to believe in the
supernatural and is fascinated by this story. That is, until he actually
encounters the Headless Horseman.

To capitalize on the legend the village North Tarrytown renamed itself Sleepy
Hollow. To further cement the connection to the legend of the Headless Horseman
and Ichabod Crane an 18' high, 11 ton steel sculpture of the pair was erected in
2006 alongside Route 9, not far from the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery's south
entrance. The rust-colored structure depicts the Ichabod Crane riding for his
life on his horse Gunpowder. He is closely followed by the Headless Horseman,
who is about to throw his jack-o'-lantern head at Ichabod.

"Another convulsive kick in the ribs, and old Gunpowder sprang upon the
bridge; he thundered over the resounding planks; he gained the opposite side;
and now Ichabod cast a look behind to see if his pursuer should vanish,
according to rule, in a flash of fire and brimstone. Just then he saw the goblin
rising in his stirrups, and in the very act of hurling his head at him." -
Washington Irving
The sculpture cost $175,000 raised through private donations and a state
grant. The rust colored sculpture is fabricated out of overlapping rusted metal
plates by the metal working company of Miglo-Bufkin.

What's the Real Story?:

The
story of the headless horseman was widely told, locally. The original source was
thought to be a German folk tale. Washington Irving created the character of
Ichabod Crane and developed the story of the encounter in 1820.

About Me

My interest in travel and exploration took me to all 50 states, much of Canada, Europe, the Caribbean, as well as some of Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica and Mexico. As I got older my outdoor activities shifted from hiking to orienteering to geocaching to waymarking.